10 March, 2013

The Good Wife: Runnin' with the Devil - A Theme of Betrayal

Season 4, Episode 16 | Original Air Date: Sunday, March 10, 2013

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Betrayal. It comes in many forms. Sometimes it’s a lie you tell yourself while
other times it’s an action that’s thrust upon you. No matter what, betrayal makes you question
those things you’ve always known – like who you are and how far you’ll go – and
sometimes it makes you question those things of which you’re just not sure –
like employment or friendships.

In ‘Runnin’
with the Devil,’ betrayal is the main ingredient in a juicy tale that starts in
a partnership meeting and ends in a courtroom.
This week, I'm looking at how trust and disloyalty perform an intricate dance together and how they're beginning to play a larger role on The Good Wife. Don't forget to stop by the Q&A at the bottom of this article to share your thoughts on this week's developments!

“Be brave, lone voice in the wilderness”

Oh David
Lee. Less than three minutes into the
show and I've already got a quote I love to hate. If there’s one thing I can say about David,
it’s not that I like him – no – it’s that I can’t get enough of his smarmy quips.

As Alicia
goes against the grain in her first partnership meeting (she doesn't mind
having the firm look like a Burmese tent city… and neither does Diane), she
stands alone in her resolve to not hire a second investigator. Alicia’s in a difficult position because she’s
friends-on with Kalinda again and the last time the firm brought in a second
investigator, glass repair shops were operating on full cylinders to keep up
with K’s bat-wielding ways.

Still, no
one seems to care and as Alicia stands alone in the forested wilderness known
as covert friendship, she gets herself tasked to the hiring committee.

Flash
forward. K finds out new investigators
are being interviewed and she’s anything but pleased. Even Will, who has had Kalinda’s back since
season one, seems particularly emotionless about the new team that’s being
formed. Maybe it’s time for these two to
go for drinks and for K to punch Will in the leg again, because that’s the one
thing he seems to be missing: tough love.

With a
parade of ex-cops running around the 28th floor, the ‘Investigator
Hiring Squad’ went with an unexpected choice: Robyn Burdine (Jess Weixler) a
former treasury enforcement agent, turned babysitter. She’s a quirky dynamo who seems just a bit
out of her element when it comes to working in a law firm. Strangely though, this just might work. She’s Kalinda’s 360 degree opposite, but it
could make them a formidable team.
Everyone needs a sidekick… and if Batman could make it work, so too can Kalinda. I hope.

The Defense of Lemond Bishop

Finally! Lemond Bishop is back – albeit in shackles –
to fight for his innocence. When last
we saw Bishop, in ‘Waiting for the Knock,’ he was being carted away under with
the charge of murder hanging over his head.
As Chicago’s biggest drug lord, it never really made sense to me as to
why he could be charged with killing one of his employees and leave her for
dead in a trunk – not because he wouldn’t want to, but because he has people
for that kind of thing. I mean, right? For
Chicago PD I don’t think it mattered though.
It was like catching Al Capone on tax evasion.

The more I
think about it, the more I feel they've crafted Bishop into a modern day
Capone. Sure, he doesn't wear a fedora
or smoke cigars, but he deals in cash, is a master at creating plausible deniability
and no one will testify against him… at least for long. This is especially the case when we start
looking at Bishop’s second attorney on retainer: Charles Lester (aka Blair Waldorf’s
step-father Cyrus Rose, aka Wallace Shawn).

Travelling
around with Alicia and talking to witnesses, we find Lester jumping into
conversation with seemingly simple questions.
To a guy at the gym: What are the hours here and are you interested in
body mass? To a man at a bowling alley:
How old are your little girls? Alone,
these questions seem innocent, but the result is always the same: a recanting
of testimony. Charles Lester, as it
turns out, reminds me a bit of Louis Canning, only unlike our plaid-loving
attorney nemesis, Lester has an almost sweet demeanor. It’s like he doesn't realize Bishop is the
master puppeteer and using him to threaten witnesses, but at the same time, we
know he’s aware of what he’s doing – he’s been at it for the last 10 years. Lester isn't afraid to betray his oath as a
lawyer: who says threatening witnesses is wrong?

Oh. Right. Everyone.

Of course, then there’s Alicia, who assumed the role of innocent bystander with ease
because, well, who saw this coming? This
guy looks like a kind old man who eats prunes for breakfast and writes thank
you notes to the kids down the street who shovel his snow. He doesn’t look like Lemond’s confidant and
co-conspirator. That’s why I was
especially worried for Judy Bishop, Lemond’s sister, when she decided to
testify against her brother. A)
Seriously? Who testifies against their
drug lord brother who had their wife offed? And B) See A. When Lester said “you know what you need to
do,” I thought Judy was a goner, but maybe for Bishop blood really is the tie
that binds. He won’t betray Judy,
because Judy won’t betray his son, Dylan.
It’s the circle of life, even when you’re a kingpin.

The Case of the Restaurateur

Cary: The
man who has been passed up and looked over, is plotting his next moves, one of
which is in a play to start his one firm, the other of which is to finally hook
up with Kalinda. While the latter
continues to be a bust, Cary’s aspiration to reach for something better is both
inspiring and promising. Just think:
Cary could branch out and start Agos and Associates… and soon. For those of you waiting for Cary’s big
break, I’m hoping this is it. While my
personal preference would be for Cary and Alicia to team up, that’s not in the
cards, at least for now. In fact, last
week I read an article with Robert and Michelle King that said the last half of
the season would be characterized by a Lockhart Gardner civil war. Could Cary be at the crux of the mutiny? Who would he recruit over to his new
firm? Could this finally be Cary’s
chance?

Well, it
might be if Kalinda has anything to say about it. Having been out investigating with local restaurateur
and cheese-lover, Seth DeLucca, Kalinda found out Cary had been talking to him
about a higher level of personalized service.
With Robyn in the mix and Kalinda more uncertain about her job at
Lockhart Gardner than ever, she’s let Cary know she’s up on his plan but that
he needs to keep his nose clean. She’s
can’t lie forever. Wait. It’s Kalinda.
Yes she can. But betray his
trust? No way.

Q&A

What did
you think of “Runnin’ with the Devil?” Was
Alicia’s law school rival, Liz Lawrence, right to ask Alicia when she sold her
soul to the devil? Are you excited at
the prospect of Cary going rouge and starting his own firm?

What’s Next?

What’s
better than formal wear and fisticuffs? The
answer? Nothing. In “Invitation to an Inquest” my two
favourite things come together in an episode that’s promising to feature the
demise of Jordan, the reappearance of Mike Kresteva and a fistfight. Did I mention Alicia in a floor-length red
gown, Will putting the moves on Laura and Alicia and Will having not one, but
two, heart-to-hearts. Oh for the love of
Sunday. I can’t wait.

12 comments:

I'm confused?? did Cary and Kalinda sleep together? the encounter in the office after the bar scene was like an awkward "morning after" situation....I guess they want us to be confused but I will be very disappointed if they did and we didn't get to see any of it.. LOL :)

They did sleep together once before, I am not sure about last night. Ha! My guess is they did. I can imagine how naughty Kalinda will be. Well, we are man after all so I am as disappointed as you. Then again woman likes Kalinda too :-)

I am so happy to see Lemond back. I really liked the actor who plays him. I also read that he will be in the Following too and he is playing the good guys this time. I look forward to it. Cary's fans should be happy this 2 weeks, we are finally seeing more of him. I doubt the writers will make him leave and start his own firm.I always wonder why Michael J Fox's Canning did not tempt him, he would be tempted unlike Alicia. I think Cary is very unhappy with his bosses.

The new investigator is great. I am not sure still if she would be willing to play the Robin to Kalinda. I got a feeling she might have much tricks of her own. I liked the character Robyn Burdine (Jess Weixler) and the actress playing her though I have not seen her before. I think she have good chemistry with Kalinda and this also means we will get to see more of Kalinda interaction with her. I hope they keep this new addition longer. Great episode, only thing is we do not get to see Eli this week.

Next week trailer looks great, I love Matthew Perry playing the bad guy. I seriously think he should go into a drama show of his own. He is good on Go On too but he should do drama after doing comedy for so long. I also realized this trailers so be for the next few episode because I swear I saw Alicia talking about her relationship in last week's trailer but none of it was on this episode.

At first I didn't think they slept together... but now with all this discussion, I'm just not sure. I mean, yes, they were awkward, but Kalinda has consistently shot him down. I'm not sure what would change her mind now. Must rewatch that scene another 12 times...

As for Robyn - I'm in full agreement: LOVE her! This could be a terrific new character for us!

Next week looks as though it's going to be epic... and not just because Peter punches out Mike while wearing a tux, but yes, that too. Alicia in her red gown, Eli all dressed up... eeeeeeeeeeeee - I can hardly wait!

Hi Pink, Lemond Bishop is back!! Along with a sneaky lawyer. I also liked Alicia going up against Audra McDonald's character, I hope she comes back. I also wanted to see what's her relationship with Will, since they must know each other, too.

Your mention of Canning got me thinking. Now that L/G has money again, what's their situation with him?

I like the new investigator and want to see more of her and especially her relationship with Kalinda. And having Alicia trying to protect Kalinda was great!

On a side note, Will's/Josh's singing was ADORABLE!

Well, to the promo. I couldn't be more excited for the next episode. I love galas, seeing everyone in "grown up clothes". It adds up to the fistfight and the heart-to-heart's! You know I have been defending Laura, liking the idea of her character because Will deserves to be happy. But I must confess that during the promo I caught myself shouting 'Shut up, b*tch' at the screen. So, I guess my sympathy for her is over lol.

I was also curious about Liz and Will - what their relationship was like and what she thought of the two of them. Hopefully we see her again!

As for Canning, I think he's out of the picture now because he doesn't own their debt anymore. It was when they still had the $26 million to pay back they were in trouble, but now I think they're out from under his thumb.

More Robyn: yes! The play between she and Kalinda is going to be fantastic. Also, she seems really nice and very reasonable, unlike Blake. I think she has huge potential.

Will singing the Growing Pains song? Amazing. I was just waiting for Diane to jump in on a duet!

The promo. Be still my heart. I'm losing my mind. It looks AMAZING! As for Laura - I laughed out loud when I read your 'shut up' comment :) It's nice she's going to Alicia for approval... thought doesn't that kind of make you wonder why? I mean, she knows Alicia is married, why would she think Alicia had anything to do with Will? They really aren't seen together that much and they don't spend much time alone (at least that Laura would ever know about). Still, this is working into my master plan that Laura will eventually be what brings Alicia and Will together. Until then, I'll join you in yelling at my screen ;)

Yes, I hope so too. Maybe she can gives a clue about 'whatever' (of "whatever we had at Georgetown") really means.

That's a shame, because they didn't really use Canning as the "owner" of the debt. I mean, I thought he would be in a lot of episodes because of that and in fact it was only one, I think.

I hadn't wondered why (I was too busy yelling at my screen), but you've got a point. A good one. Thinking about it, maybe she's asking about their friendship or their time at Georgetown. Maybe she walked in while Alicia's was saying "We were good together, weren't we?" at the gala (there goes my imagination, especulating again lol). I'm with you on the master plan and hoping the writers read this lol.

Liz was kind of right. Alicia now draws a line with her personal and professional ethics and she's good at it. That's what makes a criminal defense attorney one of the most respected and amazing profession there is.

Cary starting a new firm stealing a couple of LG's biggest clients and stealing some important people is what I expect to happen by the season finale. I can't wait.

Robyn was indeed awesome and weirdly quirky! And This is why TGW is great. The writers produce the most outlandish and fascinating characters. Really looking forward for more scenes with her.

I found Kalinda so sexy in that skirt when she went to Will's office. Plus her attitude was so badass; I mean, talking to her boss like that. Wow. The scene with Cary near the end was great, especially with her lip biting. She and Cary really have good chemistry.

Next week's gonna be great. More suspense, drama and politics! It goes without saying; great post as always.

I agree with you - Liz made a good point with Alicia... and it's something Alicia thinks about a lot: where is the line and on what side of it does she fall. This show is rarely about black and white, but that hazy shade of grey that makes everything so interesting.

Cary breaking out and starting a new firm before the end of the season? This is a theory I'm 100% getting behind!

As for Kalinda - I'm pretty sure that's the shortest skirt she's ever worn on The Good Wife! I like that when defending the hiring of Robyn, Will reminded Diane that Kalinda was the unexpected choice... and she turned out to be amazing. It's so true. She's not who you would expect to be chasing down the lead to a big case - especially in that skirt - but that's why it works.